


Hey, Can I Crash Here?

by incogneat_oh



Series: That One Hug Meme [24]
Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Batdad, Ensemble Cast, Gen, Prompt Fill, batfamily, hug meme
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-11
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-13 12:24:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12984024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/incogneat_oh/pseuds/incogneat_oh
Summary: “Oh no,” Tim whispers.He squeezes his eyes shut, mortified, as Bruce says; “Where’s the fire, Tim?”For the prompt 'tackle-hug'.





	Hey, Can I Crash Here?

—

Tim is being violently pursued, because his brothers are the worst.

Usually, it’s a little more indirect. Getting him into trouble on patrol. But this time, it’s them _chasing_ him, which is a different kind of terrible. A worse kind of terrible, even, because if he hurts Jason and Dick, Alfred will be angry. 

Alfred doesn’t care about Gotham’s criminals.

“Oii!” one of them calls– Dick, probably– and Tim doesn’t turn, just keeps running. 

Tim’s faster than both of them on a flat stretch, and he’s sure he beats them out for stamina, too. Only, as large as the Manor is, he’s going to run out of ground eventually. And they’re too close behind for Tim to rely on finding a good hiding place before that happens.

“Baby _bird_ ,” and that was definitely Jason, then a puffed “Stop, wouldja? We just needa ask you something!” 

“No!” Tim yells, sneaking a quick glance over his shoulder; confirming what he already knew. They are more or less shoulder-to-shoulder, still amused but quickly losing patience. “The last time you guys –suckered me into your stupid arguments – I got a black eye, and my favourite sneakers got trashed.”

“This one isn’t stupid!” says Dick. 

Except Tim knows that it’s _always_ stupid. The only thing worse than when Jason and Dick are trying to kill each other is when they’re being friendly. 

And Jason, as the proverbial good-cop, says, out of breath, “You make us run much longer, hotshot, and I’m gonna beat the shit out of you when we catch you.”

Tim just rolls his eyes; like he’s scared of _Jason_. 

But at that moment, he hears the “Oh _shit_ ,” behind him, right as he careens into… something, and goes crashing to the floor. 

“Oof,” he says. And, as an afterthought, “Ow.”

There will be bruises and probably carpet grazes. But the worst part is that he’s lost _momentum_ now, and that means Jason and Dick– why _aren’t_ Jason and Dick descending on him? Why can’t he hear them laughing at him and calling him names? 

… And why does the floor have a heartbeat, and smell like fancy aftershave?

“Oh no,” Tim whispers. There is a silk pocket square under his ear. 

And then, the floor beneath him starts to rumble with a laugh. 

He squeezes his eyes shut, mortified; “Where’s the fire, Tim?”

“Did you know,” Tim says, instead, trying to sit up. “Your children are all assholes?”

“It’s something I’d noticed,” says Bruce, voice still warm and amused and the right kind of gentle to make Tim’s ears pink. And, “You okay?”

Glancing behind him at the very suspiciously empty hallway, no sign Jason and Dick had ever been there, Tim scowls. “I’m good,” he answers, quick, embarrassed. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“When you took a running tackle at me? No, I’m fine.” And Bruce is still _laughing_ , because he’s an asshole too. And of course that’s where Jason and Dick had got it from. Then the man says, “You want to tell me how your brothers caused this? – not that I doubt you. I find they’re behind at least half my bad luck.”

“They,” Tim says. Pauses. “They are just _assholes_.” 

“You said that part already,” and when Tim finally, finally risks a look at Bruce’s face, he sees the man’s eyes are crinkled at the corners, with a rare, not-quite-smile. 

“It bore repeating,” Tim murmurs. 

Realising with horror that he is still, in fact, half-sprawled over Bruce, and that they are, together, sprawled on the hall carpet, Tim starts to work a little harder at disentangling himself. 

“Tim.” 

Tim pauses what he’s doing, and looks at Bruce’s face again. At least he’s sat up by now, even if he isn’t trying to help Tim _at all_. And Bruce… isn’t laughing anymore, not visibly, not audibly, except that Tim _knows_ him. And he is laughing.

“I’m sorry about your brothers, Tim.” And then Bruce reels him in for a hug, one hand at his waist, the other on the back of his neck. 

Bruce does laugh, then, when Tim’s hands stutter, unsure if he should hug back or pull away. But he still doesn’t move, holding the position for what feels to Tim like forever. It’s probably only a few seconds.

Eventually, unsure and desperately hoping, wanting this to be something he can have, Tim hugs back. He can feel Bruce’s smile against his hair, as surely as he can feel what is sure to be a bloodied carpet-graze on his palm, as surely as he knows his knee is going to bruise up from the impact with the floor.

But Bruce is warm and oddly cheerful, and his arms are firm but careful. Tim closes his eyes.

And behind him, there comes an indignant squawk, “How come _he_ gets a hug?! _Bruce_?”

**END.**

**Author's Note:**

> The final hug meme prompt! I really enjoyed this series, and it makes me happy to see how many of you have enjoyed it too <3
> 
> It's also available on [tumblr.](http://incogneat-oh.tumblr.com/post/84727268120/hi-darling-could-you-please-write-bruce-and-tim)


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